Pump

Is anyone here on the pump in particular the medtronic pump 670? I will hopefully be on the pump sometime soon was wondering if your a1c have lowered since using the pump? How do you wear it with a dress? How much humalog do you go through?

Sorry for shouting,. But it was the best thing next to my pancreas transplant. I used a much earlier medtronic pump, but it was great. I got my a1c down to a level I was happy with (I don't generally post glucose numbers, but it was decent) and the conveniences were fantastic.

As for wearing it, I typically wore it in the side band of my bra and would just reach in through the neck of my top or under my shirt to grab my pump and bolus.

I was a moderate carber and quite insulin sensitive so my TDD was about 22 units (give or take) and I was eating about 100g of carb per day. But my I:C was usually 1:25 or 1:20.

At the beginning it is a lot of work, but well worth it. It's a terrific little device.

Cora

eta: expect to take a bit less insulin than you are now. Some people take a lot less. It varies

We have a bunch of folks on pumps, including myself. I can't recall who, but I believe we have had at least a couple posts from folks using the 670g.

Wearing a pump does not guarantee a lower A1C, but it does give you a valuable tool if you're trying to gain tighter control. But it takes work to use that tool effectively. And the 670g system is not just the pump, but also the CGM.

As far as how much insulin, that varies from person to person. However, when you consider your Total Daily Dose (TDD) of insulin now (basal and bolus insulins combined), many if not most new pumpers see a reduction in TDD, anywhere up to 30% less. Keep in mind, that possibly still means more Humalog, in your case, but also the elimination of whatever basal insulin (Lantus, Levemir,....) you're currently using.

As to wearing it with a dress, the ladies can help, I'm sure. You have many options. You can use different lengths of tubing. You can leave the pump hidden, or run the tubing to outside your dress. There are straps, and clips, and pouches... Some ladies simply tuck their pumps in their bras, for example. And the 670g has the added advantage that the accompanying Next Link meter, which is barely larger than a USB Flash Drive, can function as a simple remote for the pump (although you'll want to be able to see the pump to see your CGM readings, for example).

When wearing a dress I stuff it in my bra. And if sitting with a group of people I know I just take it out, do what I need to do and stuff it back in. If I'm with people I don't know...I'd probably do the same or maybe yell "look at those chocolate covered strawberries over there!" and when everyone turns to look I'd take it out and do what I need to do. In other words and to quote Tim Gunn...make it work!

As far as how much Humalog (or whatever-alog) everyone uses...everyone is different so no use comparing. You'll use what you need to use. And it'll take you a bit of time to figure everything out.

For me...getting my basal rates set is the best part of pumping. I can skip a meal, skip multiple meals or go a whole day without eating and my BG stays nice and steady. But that's me...some people may need to continually tweak.

Do yourself a favor and read "Pumping Insulin" (by the same dude who wrote "Using Insulin").

I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.

Kelly, I found he same with my own basals on my pump. If I felt like it, I went all day without a bit of food. It was just so nice. Or I could easily sit down to a large family feast (one of those 3 or 4 hours at the table jobs) and then simply bolus per course, or for seconds (thirds, anyone?). Now of course I didn't do that too often, but to have the ability to do it? Priceless.

And the ability to microdose? Amazing. My standard breakfast (when I ate breakfast) required 0.7 units. I didn't have to eat less to accomodate a 1/2 unit syringe, or eat more to round up to 1 unit. I just ate what I wanted and bolused accordingly.

As I said, lots of work to get things down pat, but well worth the large amount of effort. Even getting up hourly during the night once in a while to double check my basals.

My recommendation is to combine it with a CGMS. Instant knowledge of my BG has helped me to significantly keep my BG in range. Started with the Medtronic Revel eight years ago. Daily Novolog used for basil is 32 units and for bolus ranges between 30 and 35, depending on carbs.

My Medtronic trainer is scheduled to set me up with the 670G on Monday. Once in use, I will be reporting back with my results.

OH PUMP, MY FAVOURITE SUBJECT. Ooops yeah it is hard not to shoult with joy when the subject of pumps come up. Sorry, not!

I absolutely love my pump. With CGM I can run my BG really tight and with that combo, yes I have lowered my A1c considerably. In the old days I would never have dreamed of going to bed with a BG of 5.0 mmol/L but now I do and that makes an enormous difference.

I also love that I can actually bolus for 1 or 2 grams of carbs, and yes I do. My morning coffee and cream gets a little bolus, unless I am a bit low to start.

I love being able to bolus while I am running across the road to grab my coffee when I am at work.

I could go on.

I don't wear dresses, don't own a one. Suppose Freud would have something to say about that. I do wear trousers that don't have pockets and it still can be difficult to find a good place for my pump.

I can't do the bra trick as I end up looking like I have a mono-boob. Not quite endowed well enough to pull that off. So I tuck my pump into my nickers, near my hip bone where there is a bit of a natural hollow. If I am wearing a top that covers it is is well hidden, otherwise it does ruin the line of my trousers somewhat.

In the early days of pumping I did make myself a couple of makeshift pump thingies. One was just a piece of broad but soft waistband elastic with a baby sock stitched to it.

Still none of that is going to work so well with a dress as it would look a bit odd to be lifting your skirts and fishing around under there.

Anything else you want to ask about pumping? I could talk about it all day long.

Thanks so much for the reply. I am someone who is going to be on the pump hopefully soon. I wish I had started earlier. Yes I cant wait! The tighter control is what I am looking forward to the most. I have been nonstop on this site and love all the feedback from my fellow diabetics.

I just recently bought myself a couple of belts for my pump but probably not suitable for under dresses. One of the things I find a bit annoying about my 640G, and I think the 670 is going to be the same, is that the plastic is very slippery and the belt clip flimsy, so it tends to do a bungee jump out of my pocket on occasions. So when I am doing something very active I used one of these:

I have also heard that some people either sew pockets into special occasion dresses or have a seamstress sew one in for you. I think this would only work on fairly flowing garments. The idea is that you have a small pass-through hole (like a button hole) inside the pocket to feed the tubing through and you just have the pump in the pocket.